After a presentation ceremony Jordan Bradford and Neale Saunders, who was Project Manager for Santa Pod's track upgrade, took
the first run gently in cold and windy conditions, Neale in a Jaguar loaned by stunt driver Terry Grant. Both Jordan and Neale
came back later for a higher-throttle pairing when the brief and frequently weather-interrupted RWYB commenced.

In association with John Woolfe Racing we have posted a small gallery of
pictures of the presentation ceremony, the first run, and the RWYB. A big Thank You to off-track photographer Diana Macrae
for braving the snow and gale. You can check out the RWYB gallery by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com
page.

Swift snippets.18th March: We were sorry to hear from Geoff Stilwell of the death at 78 of legendary Funny Car and
Fuel Altered pilot and Crew Chief Dale Emery(right, picture below left). Dale is remembered in
the UK for driving the Chadderton and Okazaki Funny Car, which became Gladiator, at Santa Pod Raceway in the
mid-1970s but we were also lucky enough to see Dale as recently as last November when he attended
British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Bench Race, at
which it was a privilege to speak to the modest and unassuming legend. Our deepest sympathies to Dale's family and friends.
You can read the superb Dragster Insider account of Dale's career on
NHRA.com.

The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com (above right) came with the words "No more
words needed, lol!". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at
eurodragster.com@btinternet.com.

We would like to say a big Happy Birthday to our good buddy, former Track Announcer and all-round good egg (Apart from the
country music thing, of course - Ed)Barry Bohannon. Have a great day Barry.

With that said, we now have a new, laser-laid, all-concrete track the full length of the quarter mile with such smoothness and levels
that we have not had previously, despite having had the fastest asphalt track in the world. Where we go from here and how fast this
new concrete track becomes in the future is a very exciting prospect indeed. Although potentially, we now have a very fast race track
indeed, I must add a note of caution to everyone; it is going to take a few months for the race teams to dial into this new concrete
track and indeed for our own track crews to learn the dynamics of how to achieve the best preparation for the best results – meaning
fast times across all classes. We have prepared and worked on concrete tracks before at the other events we run across Europe but
each track is different. Also, remember that the drivers, riders and teams only have read-outs and graphs of how their race cars and
bikes have performed on the old asphalt track. However, I am optimistic that by the FIA/FIM Main Event (May) some of the teams will
have a handle on it and, given the right weather conditions, good times and speeds will follow. If I am right, then by the European Finals,
I am hoping to see European records fall to Santa Pod once more – that is our goal to produce a European record-holding track.

It is not only the race track that has undergone a full refurbishment. During that same project, we’ve also undertaken a full refurbishment
of the spectator grass bank. This has involved a complete re-shaping and profiling of the bank along with a much wider path on the top
with better, improved access from the rear of the bank. Oh, and easier access to the hill top bar for those who like a little liquid refreshment
during the racing! The bank like the track was laser levelled and it is a pleasure to, at last, see an even bank running the entire length.

Typically, things didn’t go to plan and the same issues affecting the track have also impacted on the completion of the bank – the weather
AGAIN! The "Beast from the East" took its toll. We have been unable to get the new grass seed to germinate in time for Easter due to
the weather being too cold. To try everything possible we had even invested tens of thousands more in a special type of grass seed and
application that would germinate in colder conditions – but alas not that cold and for once too dry. Who would think we would be saying
at Santa Pod the weather has been too dry! This has meant putting into place Plan B for the Festival of Power event with temporary ground
cover and free arrangements for sections of the grandstand. I would like to thank everyone for their incredible patience, support and
understanding in this particular matter. Please see the Santa Pod web site
for further information on those particular arrangements.

In closing, Santa Pod has invested nearly £1,000,000 this winter in the new track and bank projects and we are all hopeful that
this will become another big leap forward in Santa Pod’s ever-improving facility. When I look back to 1996 when I purchased Santa Pod
we have come a long way – but I’m nowhere near satisfied we are there yet – in fact not by a long way!

See you at the track.

Double Redshaws in 2018.16th March: The UK's Redshaw Racing will be a two-car team in 2018 as Lucas Oil Junior Dragster
racer Harry will be joined by Modurstang Pro ET racer Chris, who writes:

Harry would firstly like like to say a very big Thank You to our sponsors at Odyssey Battery for supporting
us for the third year running. Harry was very lucky to get Odyssey Battery as a sponsor when he started
racing and we cannot thank them enough for all their support. Harry has had a amazing two years in the
sport and has loved every minute of it. Last year we competed in the Association Trophée Dragster
at Clastres in France at clastres and we had such an amazing time. Harry managed to win the Championship,
we couldn't believe it as it was only our second year. It was such a amazing time and we met some amazing
people. We are going to compete in the ATD again this year so we start the season at Rivanazzano in Italy
then we have two meetings at Clastres and the Finals are at Vichy.

We are looking forward to the UK season starting and we are really looking forward to racing on the new
track at Santa Pod, it is looking amazing.

I will be starting my racing career in Pro ET, I have watched Harry racing and every time I am on the track
with him I just want to race myself. So last year we acquired the old Mark Richardson Pony Express
altered. Our very good friends the Ford family spent last year updating the altered for us, without all their
help we could not we could not have had the car ready for this season. We will be running the altered with
a Fiat Topolino body shell and under the name The Joker Express. We are so looking forward
to racing in both Junior Dragster and Pro ET this year.

Our sponsors at Odyssey Battery are so happy with our progress that they are also supporting me in
Pro ET, and we have been very lucky to have some new sponsors too: we are also being supported by
Teng Tools and DFDS Ferries. Without the support of our sponsors we could never do what we do.

With the extra car we are also bringing in a new crew member, my nephew Mark Hamilton be joining
the team. It is his first time around drag racing and he is so looking so forward to it. Harry and I would
like to say a very big Thank You to dad Brian Redshaw for being Crew Chief on both cars. Grandad
Brian will be running Harry then running back around to run me so he is going to have a very busy
year too.

Swift snippets.16th March: If you are joining us at Santa Pod Raceway tomorrow for their first RWYB of the season then
courtesy of Stephen Billings we can warn you that Hinwick Road (the road opposite the exit from the track) is
closed due to bridge reconstruction
(map).
Alternative routes are available off the A6 via Wymington or off the A509 via Bozeat / Hinwick.

We would like to wish a big Happy Birthday to our good friend and Honorary Eurodragster.com Staff Member
John Hackney. Have a great day Hackers.

SPAL design, engineer and manufacture a wide range of axial fans and centrifugal blowers for the world's most demanding markets. They have a worldwide reputation for
innovation and combine commitment to best-in-class quality with advanced technology to develop our industry leading products from initial concept through to final manufacture.
"We supply the latest cooling technology to the motor racing industry, which means we operate to the most exacting standards and apply those same quality standards across
every sector we serve. Our range includes over 3000 products, including traditional brushless and latest generation brushless fans and blowers.”

Andy Saracino-Clift, Aftermarket Business Development Manager for Spal, said "We're delighted to support the event and no doubt in such high-paced conditions, those
vehicles will have to be packing some high performance cooling fans from SPAL. In fact we've already had a Thank You for sponsoring the event from one of the competitors
who has installed a SPAL fan as a gesture of support! Good luck to all the racers!"

Swift snippets.15th March: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the words "Crate expectations".
If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at
eurodragster.com@btinternet.com.

In Pro Stock we have changed Sections 1.2 Cylinder Heads and 1.3 Engine. The rules have now been opened up so that a Pro Stock vehicle can use
engines from other manufactures. For example, teams can use a GM or Ford engine in a Chrysler vehicle or vice versa. This was a rule which we had in the 1990s
before we started to follow the FIA international drag racing rules.

The rules were approved at the FIA World Motorsport Council meeting in Geneva on 9th March, which I attended to represent drag racing and to present
and explain the changes.

The 2018 Sporting Regulations for 2018 have also been released and there are some rule changes and costs reductions for organisers which we hope will
help the FIA Championships to advance in future. There has been a lot of hard work by FIA officials working at events and by individuals who have sent
in suggestions. I have to thank everybody for a good job.

Nostalgia's nostalgia.14th March: James Forster of Santa Pod Raceway writes that after a quiet period on the Dragstalgia front
he is pleased to announce that Sweden's Janne Johansson fill be bringing some of his stunning Nostalgia collection to display at this year's event on
13th-15th July:

Janne has a whole workshop full of cars, parts and historic drag racing memorabilia from all over the world and we're delighted to welcome him with some of his
display to Santa Pod for the first time.

Janne will be filling his show-worthy, Peterbilt towed, transporter with no less than four historic Funny Cars and a Fuel Altered, plus he'll be bringing a '69 Chevy
C20 Ramp Truck towing yet another Funny Car, just like they used to in the good old days. The restored treats Janne will be bringing to Dragstalgia are:

Janne's vehicles won't be running on track, but instead populating the show marquee with the Björn Andersson Manta and Lee Anders Hasselström
Datsun being fired up to cackle throughout the weekend, including participation in the Cacklefest.

The Peterbilt, Ramp Truck and transporter are all show pieces themselves with everything being custom made to transport Janne's collection around Sweden and
beyond. These will be in pride of place next to the display too.

Whilst Janne's cars are here, we're also going to take the opportunity to combine his cars with the current crop of European Nostalgia Funny Cars in a bid to
recreate this iconic photo of the line-up on the Friday evening. Who knows, we may even be able to line up even more floppers than we did in the original photo.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to get up close and personal with some meticulously-restored Funny Cars from yesteryear. We'll see you there.

TF and PSB roped together.14th March: Thanks to Remco Scheelings for passing on the news that longtime friends and business partners, UK Top Fuel
Dragster racer Liam Jones and UK Pro Stock Bike racer Alex Hope, have joined forces to form Team Asylum with sponsorship under the colours of their company
CBD Asylum.

"CBD Asylum manufactures and supplies CBD products derived from hemp from around the world and is continuously developing exciting ways to administer CBD", says Liam.
"We are at the forefront of CBD innovation in Europe, having the only fitness industry aimed CBD products in Europe and sponsoring athletes such as professional cage fighter
Alex Montagnani and the World's Strongest Man, Eddie 'The Beast' Hall.

"Alex and I will be doing the full European tour again. It's going to be a really exciting year and we are expecting good things. I'm not going to tempt fate by predicting
figures and standings, but it should be good!

SFI Foundation Vice President Jennifer Faye was in charge of administering the recertification process. She was joined
on each leg of the tour by Eurodragster.com sponsor Andy Robinson who was inspecting transmission shields, bellhousings and
flexplates, Luke Robinson looking at clutches and L-G Eriksson of ME Racing Services in Borlänge, Sweden who was in charge
of inspecting wheels. The parts under inspection all have specific SFI safety specifications according to the class of vehicle.

Also attending were Geoff Martin, Mark Norton and Tim Read of the UK Tech Team who will also be able to certify chassis to SFI
specs during the year.

Jennifer reported that the numbers of parts inspected are up on last year and that there is a trend, as well as for new cars,
for racers who have had a break from racing for several years to come back to the sport and consequently needing to upgrade
their equipment to current standards. In Sweden 174 parts were inspected, in Finland 41 parts, and in Holland 64 parts. During
our visit, more than 50 parts had been inspected by lunchtime, with last year's total of 75 likely to be exceeded; in the UK
more racers are getting SFI certification in order to be able to enter MSA permit events.

Whilst photographing the SFI Day for our Feature we also gathered a few Pit Notes which are presented below in the order in
which we spoke to the interviewees:

Fuel Funny Car racer Kevin Chapman will bring out the former Showtime car acquired from Bob Jarrett after licencing
in a Top Fuel Dragster in September. Kevin said "We are having to make a few upgrades to keep up to date. I will be making a
licencing half pass on Good Friday which will be my first hit in the car". Kevin will be crewed by former FC racer John Spuffard
and he said that the rest of his crew had been recruited, with only one position vacant.

Nostalgia Fuel Altered and Pro Mod racer Nick Davies is preparing the ex-Robert Koper Pontiac Firebird Pro Mod for a début
later in the year. Nick said "With other projects on the go, we haven't been able to move the Pro Mod along as much as we wanted. It
previously had nitrous Big Block Chevy power and we will be using a turbo Hemi engine, however the transmission will remain a Lenco clutch".
Other projects keeping Nick and Rob Loaring of ICE Automotive busy include refurbishment of Andy Bond's Street Eliminator Chevy, David James'
planned Pro Mod car and work on the Street Eliminator cars of Nick Hales and Jeff Meads.

Top Methanol Funny Car / Altered team Steph and Dave Milam were having transmission components checked, although the car in
Altered format has been put up for sale (see Jeff Bull Swap Meet). Dave
said "My eye has recovered from a problem last September but I am now waiting for a replacement for an arthritic hip. The car may
be out later in the year as an Altered to maintain interest in it. We may split it if there is demand for the running gear or the
chassis separately, and the engine still has the PSI blower on it". Once the car is sold, Dave and Steph will still maintain
involvement in the sport by crewing.

James Willaday is planning to run his rotary-engined turbo Mazda RX8 in Comp Eliminator and will also race at the Doorslammers.
James said "It has a Hauser tube chassis, an engine I built, and tuning help will come from racers in Puerto Rico where rotary-engined
drag cars are huge". James has worked with the engines for thirteen years and had a street car which ran 8.8. The new car, which is
for the track only, features a Liberty trans, 91 mm single Pro Mod-style turbo and a Microtech ECU which can be set up remotely. He
is discussing with race officials which class he can enter, and points out that the effective capacity of the 1308 cc engine for racing
is still only 2616 cc.

Wild Bunch racer Mick Gleadow was at getting his Jurassic Parts II dragster's bellhousing, flexplate and trans shield
certified to enable him to run at MSA permit events this year. Mick said "I raced at an MSA event in 2014 and was runner up at the
2017 UK National Finals. Competing at MSA events increases the race meetings available for Wild Bunch teams to compete in. The Festival
of Power has a field of six cars, more than last year". Mick aims to run an eight in the dragster, which is modelled on a Junior Fuel
car, "Even if it involves nitro".

Nostalgia Funny Car racer Rob Elsom suffered major mechanical damage at a VW meeting where two rods let go. He admitted "It
wasn't the best year as I couldn't get further than two hundred feet down the track, and I haven't completed licencing". On the
brighter side, Rob's new engine fired up successfully for the first time last Sunday and he is planning on running six events this
year, with the Festival of Power coming first. He said it was tune-up problems that contributed to the lack of performance. "We
were chipping away at it, but it was falling flat on its face early in the run, once the RPMs drop the fuel volume is wrong and
there is more risk of a dropped cylinder and breakage."

Super Pro ET racer Aaron Fensome, who bought the ex-Gold RV blown-alcohol dragster with sister Saskia Fensome Jell, will
bring the car out for his final licencing pass at the test day before the Main Event. Aaron thanks Derek Flynn of Eurodragster.com
sponsor Gold RV and Pete Walters of Eurodragster.com sponsor Peter Walters Race Design who, after an upgrade to a Big Block Chevy,
will be working with Aaron on his similarly-powered car.

Super Comp and Super Pro ET racer Nicky Frost will be returning from a year off with a new chassis under the car, built by
Eurodragster.com sponsor Chris Isaacs and featuring a four-link suspension replacing the previous ladder bars. The engine will be
a Steve Schmidt 584 ci with twin carburettors. The car will be back on track at the Main Event.

Wayne Allman of the Intergalactic Custom Shop, running the Mental Breakdown VW pick-up, missed a part of the 2017
season following damage caused by the tip of a valve coming off at 1000 feet into a run, taking out a lot of his engine. After
Wayne rebuilt he came back at the Hot Rod Drags and ran an early-shut-off 7.20. Wayne said "The car is legal to run MSA events
and my target this year is to run a six at over two hundred miles per hour". Wayne is also working on improvements to Phil 'Ginner'
Middleton's Outlaw Anglia Fordson, and a new Fordson build for a yet-to-be-identified racer.

L-G Eriksson of ME Racing Services has been working on updates to Top Fuel Dragsters for the FIA series, and on rally cars.
The amount of Docol tubing being used for construction doubled in 2017 and the tubing features on Pro Mod racer Mats Eriksson's
rebuilt Green Goblin Crown Victoria, which is scheduled for a mid-season Scandinavian return.

In association with Lucas Oil Products we are pleased to present a
gallery of the SFI inspections, which you can check out by
clicking here or by clicking on the Features, Interviews,
Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Swift snippets.13th March: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian
Marshall for sending us the "Final, final" version of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which
takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 30th March-1st April. You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
If you have any queries about Festival of Power entry then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44
1933 313625) or E-Mail ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

Said Nic Williams of the OCS Group "This is the perfect event for us to showcase our products and services so it makes perfect
sense for the OCS Group to be the title sponsor of the Big Bracket, especially as so many of our customers that have had
mechanical or paintwork with us will be competing in the class. Our new Northamptonshire based premises offers a one-stop
facility for all of your needs from minor paint repairs to full bare metal restorations with OCS Paint, then next door the Williams
Bros Racing workshops offers everything from routine American car servicing and parts to full builds, specialising in hot rods and
NHRA Stock-legal race cars. We will be fielding at least three cars under the Williams Bros Racing banner ourselves and look
forward to pairing up with cars from other classes that we do not normally race against. The whole team from OCS Paint, Williams
Bros Racing, WBR Engine Dyno and WBR Speed Shop will be on hand to answer any questions you may have, we look forward to
seeing you there."

OCS Group join other class sponsors VP Racing Fuels, Turbo Technics, Spal Automotive, Lucas Oil, Webster Race Engineering and
EBC Brakes to complete the line-up of class sponsors for the event which takes place on 19th-20th May. For more information
on the event, the latest entry list, and to book tickets, visit
www.santapod.co.uk/doorslammers.php.

7707 moves house.12th March: Geoff Stilwell writes that BUA Motorsport's iconic 7707 Land Speed racer,
previously owned by the Kuhl and Olson team, is now in its new home in Los Angeles and undergoing a lot of work:

With the Land Speed race season fast approaching, on 18th-19th May at El Mirage just north of Los Angeles, the BUA Motorsport
Team of myself, Bill Schultz, Sparky Perry (tuner and Top Alcohol Funny Car racer), Bob and Sharon Muravez, Carl Olson and a
few others whom I will name later have all been very busy.

Since the car arrived in Los Angeles we have got the fuel system, mag, blower, cylinder heads and fire bottles out for servicing.
In addition we needed to make some upgrades because of rule changes regarding the seat harness. We have taken delivery of
a Valesco crank, new Crower rods and Venolia pistons, Iskenderian Cams have supplied a new cam, lifters and cam kit with valve
springs. On order are new oil lines, blower belts, valves and a few other bits and pieces. Bill Schultz and Sparky Perry will be
putting the motor together shortly so that we can get it on a dyno and make sure that everything works as it should.

Let me stress that putting something together like this to go for a new Land Speed Record in its class is no mean feat. It
takes up so much time and I need to thank those already mentioned plus Doug Stringer owner of the Parts Plus and
Great Clips Top Fuel Dragster Team and driver Clay Millican, Ed "The Ace" McCulloch, Ed Iskenderian, Waterbed Fred
Miller, Peter Muravez, Fast Eddie from the LA based Road Kings Car Club and the Legendary Tommy Ivo for all their help
and support, and not forgetting Allen Bridges of Simpson for supplying my new firesuit and helmet. None of this would
be possible without the help of Les Downey and Tom Bogner of Lucas Oil and the Camfather himself Ed Iskenderian.

We are targeting El Mirage to make some gentle passes and get used to the car. Further updates to follow and our new
Facebook page will be launched very shortly where you can follow our progress, plus we will be doing live broadcasts
at the events connections and internet permitting.

Swift snippets.12th March: Many thanks to Mike Collins for sending us
a preview of his column in the latest issue
of Street Machine magazine, available if you are quick, plus for Nostalgia fans
a Glory Daysexclusive for
Eurodragster.com readers.

UK Top Methanol FC and blown-alcohol altered racer Steph Milam tells us that the She
Devil Racing race car is for sale in its altered guise. More details under Cars For Sale on
our Jeff
Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap
Meet.

Swift snippets.10th March: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian
Marshall for sending us the final version of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway
on 30th March-1st April. You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
If you have any queries about Festival of Power entry then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44
1933 313625) or E-Mail ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

Geoff Stilwell asked us to say a big Happy 80th Birthday to his good friend and mentor Bob Muravez aka Floyd Lippencotte.
Our pleasure Geoff, have a great day Bob.

"Kunmadár is awaiting you with an excellent track and a renewed drag arena!", says József.

Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for sending us Version 6
of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 30th March-1st April.
You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Standard-rate entry closes tomorrow (Friday); entry after tomorrow, if accepted, may be subject to a Late Entry penalty.
You can fill in and submit or download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link of the
SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

If you have any queries about Festival of Power entry then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44
1933 313625) or E-Mail ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

For the first time in its history, the Santa Pod drag strip has been completely rebuilt with concrete (previously asphalt) after digging up the
original WW2 runway over winter. This marks the start of a new era for the Home of European drag racing. The legendary Harold Bull was
the first man to record a time on the original race track way back in 1966 and here is your opportunity to etch your name in Santa Pod's
illustrious history books.

The Ebay auction comprises two lots and all proceeds will be split between the Air Ambulance Service (East Midlands) and Magpas Air
Ambulance (East Anglia). One auction is for the chance to drive in the left hand Coldfire lane. There is a separate auction for the chance
to drive in the right hand Autoglym lane. You will receive a certificate to mark the occasion.

These first runs on the track will take place at the Run What You Brung event on Saturday 17th March. All you need is a valid driving
licence (UK, European or International). After the first run you will also be entitled to unlimited runs that day and you'll receive a
personal performance print-out showing your reaction times to the start lights, sixty foot time, eighth and quarter mile times and
terminal speed. Visit www.rwyb.com for full rules and more information.

As can be seen above work continues on the new strip at Santa Pod with the timing equipment being reinstalled ahead of fresh
rubber being laid. You can check out a full gallery by
clicking here.
To see the new track in action at the upcoming Festival of Power, grab your tickets at
www.santapod.com.

Swift snippets.7th March: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came
with no words. If you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at
eurodragster.com@btinternet.com.

Further to yesterday's snippet the latest update from The Netherlands' Pro Dutch Racing Pro
Modified team is now available in English as well as Dutch. Our good friend Remco Scheelings tells
us that future updates will be available in both languages. Click
here to check out the English-language update (PDF format).

We would like to say a big Happy Birthday for today (Wednesday) to our good buddy, Honorary Eurodragster.com
Staff Member, and imminently Pro Modified racer Spencer Tramm. Have a great day Spencer.

Our good friend Jim Kelly's time travel thriller Found In Time is now available
as an audiobook. Jim's forthcoming book about his racing experiences including
working with Eurodragster.com sponsor VP
Racing Fuels, which we are expecting to be a Match Race Madness for the 21st Century, is
currently undergoing final editing and we understand that there may be enough material for a second
volume. In the meantime you can find out more about Found In Time including purchasing
options on Jim's web site by clicking
here.

WRE back The Doorslammers.7th March: Santa Pod Raceway are also pleased to announce that
Eurodragster.com sponsor Webster
Race Engineering, situated next to Santa Pod Raceway, are the latest sponsor for the eagerly anticipated
Doorslammers event on 19th-20th May:

Jon Webster is a name well known to Santa Pod having built and / or driven just about every type of race car
conceivable and his reputation precedes him. Webster Race Engineering are kindly putting their name to the
4 Cylinder class to put their engineering services in front of competitors and spectators alike.

Jon said "It's a particular discipline we are interested in with several customers that could make an impact in
the class. I was involved with the design and build of Wayne Saunders' World Record setting Ford Focus back
in 1999 and the enthusiasm for the potential of the possible combinations out there has stayed with me. The
Doorslammers is an excellent platform for these cars. Heads up competition is the real place for them to battle
it out. We are currently involved with vehicles that may appear at the inaugural event and offer extensive
workshop services and support with respect to race car construction and associated services and support."

Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian Marshall for sending us Version 5
of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway on 30th March-1st April.
You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Standard-rate entry closes this Friday (9th); entry after this date, if accepted, may be subject to a Late Entry penalty.
You can fill in and submit or download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link of the
SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

If you have any queries about Festival of Power entry then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44
1933 313625) or E-Mail ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

Proud for Sag...6th March: On behalf of the whole Daddy Cool team, Alan Grimes has been in touch to thank
the Eurodragster.com readers who voted to award the APIRA Iris Page Memorial Trophy to late Wild Bunch racer
Dave 'Sag' Southworth:

The team felt honoured even to be nominated for this award, let alone be the fortunate recipient. I have been friends with Sag since I was
fifteen years old and our history with Daddy Cool dates back at least twenty five years. Sag was always astonished at the progress we made
with the car and never thought we would ever achieve the performance levels we did. A best of 8.84 and, more importantly to Sag, 150.26 mph as
he was always a speed junkie on track. On the road he was the exact opposite.

This award, together with the Don Garlits Spirit of Drag Racing award from the wonderful Wild Bunch, are everything Sag would ever have wished for.
He was a great friend over the years, he was best man at my wedding, and his wonderful family are such special people to me so I know how much
this will mean to them. With Sag I first went to Santa Pod a long time ago, we both loved the Page family and the great performances of Panic
over the years, particularly the win in Pro Comp all those years ago so thank you so much to the Page family for the inspiration over the years.

I have been privileged to be involved with this sport for so many years now and don't have any idea what life would be like without all these wonderful
people involved in drag racing in every capacity.

We hope to be racing Daddy Cool again this year with a family member driving the car, I think that is only fitting as a memorial.

See you all at the track folks. "Good racing and everyone home safe" has to be the mantra.

York Air Ambulance donation.6th March:
The 'PDRC Nite of Champions', the 43rd Annual Pennine Drag Racing Club trophy presentation night and dinner dance, took place last Saturday 3rd March at the Campanile Hotel, Bradford.

A donation from the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund was made to Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity by Graham Beckwith, British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Selection Board Member, trustee of the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund and MC for the evening. Graham stood in for fellow trustee and BDRHoF Chairman Stu Bradbury, who was to have made the presentation, but was unable to travel from his Wellingborough home due to the weather.

Receiving the cheque was Vickie Bowden, West Yorkshire Community Fundraiser for Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity. Vickie said 'Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity is very grateful to the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund for their generous gift and for supporting the YAA, it really is appreciated'.

For the BDRHOF Benevolent Fund, Graham Beckwith said ' The announcement of the presentation to YAA was well received and was applauded loudly and the rest of the evening went very well too. It is good to be able to make an award to organisations who provide services to the community as a whole as well as drag racing'.

Swift snippets.6th March: A new block and other bits and pieces, smart new T-Shirts, a pull at Eurodragster.com sponsor
Dyno Unlimited and a tricky calendar dilemma all feature
in the latest update from The Netherlands' Pro Dutch Racing Pro Modified team. Even if you don't read Dutch it is
not too difficult to catch up by clicking here (PDF format).

The inspection team will be Jennifer, Andy Robinson, Luke Robinson and L-G Eriksson. A list of items which can be inspected, now including SFI
61.1 turbochargers (Precision brand only), can be checked out by clicking here (PDF format).

Swift snippets.1st March: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian
Marshall for sending us Version 4 of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway
on 30th March-1st April. You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
You can download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link of the SPRC web site at
www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

Diana Macrae asked us to say a big Happy Birthday with added hugs to fellow Podington Pea Kerry Jeyes. Our pleasure
DD; have a lovely day Kerry and please accept additional hugs from the Eurodragster.com team.

EBC Brakes back The Doorslammers.1st March:Santa Pod Raceway are delighted to
announce that EBC Brakes have been added to the ever growing list of partners for the
Doorslammers event to be held on 19th-20th May.

EBC Brakes are one of the biggest independent brake manufacturers in the world supplying pads and discs for all forms of motorsport. EBC Brakes,
whose global headquarters are located close by to the track in Northampton, have signed up as sponsor for the 6 Cylinder Class which heralds a
prize purse of £5000. EBC said “This year is shaping up to be an exciting season for our automotive teams who will be racing worldwide in
a wide variety of classes, including drift racing, off-road rallying, Autocross, classic cup racing and much more! We're delighted to be involved
with drag racing at Santa Pod this year and proud to sponsor the 6 Cylinder class at the Doorslammers."

First was the transmission, we needed a new Reid PG1500 case as we seemed to have put a crack in the other one at the UK National Finals.
A quick call to Jeff Bull to get one brought in for us. Then it was off to Kevin Cerasale for a quick change over, install some new items to make it a bit
more up-to-date.

We then purchased a new shifter and transbrake button. After my video with Tony Morris at the NitrOlympX he insisted on a better trans button
to help me achieve the Reaction Times which we'd require to be consistent in Super Gas - no point hitting 9.90 all the time if you can't leave the line
at the correct moment.

So the button was ordered and then we were told that the track at Santa Pod was being ripped out and a new £1 million track surface was
being installed. Super Gas is an extremely tight class and so I wanted to install any advanced technology which I could use to my advantage.
I made a quick call to Racepak HQ to seek advice in installing shock sensors and to ask whether they would help me to read the track quicker
than my opponents. After that, a quick call to Dick Koster at Post en Dros and they were on their way.

New brake pads fitted, new shifter fitted, new rad and fan fitted, new oil accumulator seals fitted, new shock sensors fitted, new trans fitted,
new filters fitted, a few new cables to put in and we should be ready for a quick fire-up and a test run on the Pro Jacks. Hopefully everything
will be recording properly and we get a few garage test runs.

Our goal this year is do everything we can to finish in the top five in the Terry Gibbs Super Gas Shootout. We will be running in the Big Bracket
shootout at the Doorslammers, at the NitrOlympX, and at every round of the SPRC Championship.

We have loads of sponsors to thank this year, a big Thank You to the following for all their efforts in getting The Package ready yet again:
Jeff Bull Race Engines, Kev Carasale Transmissions, Dick Koster, Bret and Debbie, Sharron, and Gary Campion. Without these people I couldn't
do what I do year in and year out.

I would like to wish everyone in Super Gas a fast and competitive 2018.

You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

Standard-rate entry closes on Friday of next week (9th March); entry after this date, if accepted, may be subject to a Late
Entry penalty. You can fill in and submit or download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link
of the SPRC web site at www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

If you have any queries about Festival of Power then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44
1933 313625) or E-Mail ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

VWDRC at 31.27th February: The countdown to Easter is well underway and Luke Stevenson writes that the
Volkswagen Drag Racing Club are busier than ever
going in to their thirty first season:

After a great 2017, in which both VW Sportsman and Pro Championships were decided at the UK National
Finals - the latter featuring a fight between the top three in the final rounds of year - this year we have another
bumper crop of new racers taking on both classes looking to be the 2018 Rookie of the Year. The recent
news of a rule change allowing cars from 2010 onwards to compete in VW Pro without a roll cage will
hopefully will introduce a whole new crop of racers.

We will also see the return of some crowd favourites. Dave Crowhurst has had a complete new 25.1 chassis
built by Bill Murfin to tame the Black Wanger Beetle after it tried to kiss the wall on more than two occasions
during testing; multiple VW Pro Champion James Hodson has his eyes on the podium after a year of travelling,
and Paul (Legend) Bargate will be back with the Yellow Peril Scirocco, just to name a few.

The current race schedule for 2018 features five rounds at Santa Pod and a single round at Shakespeare County
Raceway, but with the well-known ongoing situation at SCR the Committee have decided that in 2018 all rounds
will count towards the Championship instead of dropping a single round. This will hopefully make it fairer for
our racers should a round be dropped at a later date.

As ever the VWDRC are blessed with such great support from companies which want to be involved with
the longest-running single-marque Drag Racing Club in the world. We are very proud to announce that there
is a pot of over £3500 to be won throughout the 2018 season. We will be awarding a prize to the number
one qualifer at each event, and at last year's VWDRC Annual General Meeting it was decided to award the bulk
of the prize fund to first, second and third in the final Championship placings in VW Pro and VW Sportsman.

The VWDRC promotional Tour kicks off in two weeks time at
Ultimate Dubs at the Telford International
Centre next week (10th-11th March), we then move on to the Volksworld Show at Sandown Park on 24th-25th
March. These shows kick off a great season in the VW community, so why not visit both to get a taste of the
Show season.

Swift snippets.26th February: We were very pleased to see that Sweden's Jonnie Lindberg had walked away from
a short but high-speed stint as John Force's Official Receiver during yesterday's Fuel FC eliminations at the NHRA Arizona
Nationals. You can find out more on NHRA Online or courtesy of the
regular competition-standard tricoteuses on Facebook. Coincidentally, and conscience-free with the news that
John Force is OK, a splendid autographed Kenny Youngblood print is for sale in the Drag Racing Memorabilia section of our
Jeff
Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet.

If you have any used slicks or ET Street Radials then please call Ian on 01933 313625 or E-Mail
ir.marshall@btconnect.com. The Club will be glad to arrange collection of
tyres including an outing already arranged for this coming Tuesday (27th).

Hutchinson and Dibley Ltd is a Buckinghamshire-based precision CNC
engineering company specialising in the production of hard-to-manufacture parts. We have over fifty years of experience in most industries including
defence, oil, gas and marine, as well as machining most common metals and plastics but also working with difficult materials such as titanium, magnetic
iron and Inconel. Our shop facility includes CNC turning and milling as well as welding and fabrication equipment. Our entire production is ISO9001:2008
approved and accredited.

After two very successful seasons sponsoring the 50 Shades of Racing Sportsman
ET team we are looking to increase our involvement within the class. The competition has got tougher than ever with top qualifying positions being decided
by the thousandth of a second at most meetings. As part of our support for the class, Hutchinson and Dibley Ltd are also sponsoring a Number One qualifier
trophy at every event. This trophy will be presented to the top qualifier in the Sportsman ET pits after the final round of qualifying.

Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards 2018.23rd February: We are very pleased to confirm that the Eurodragster.com Perfect Awards Scheme will continue in 2018.
A minimum of £100 will be on offer for perfect performance at every UK National Championship event.

Cath and Tig Napier of Bad Habit Racing are again kindly sponsoring the Eurodragster.com / Bad Habit Racing Perfect Light Award which
will start at the Festival of Power at Santa Pod Raceway in March and continue at UK National Championship and certain other events including
Dragstalgia and the Mopar EuroNationals. The money will be paid in cash to the first racer at an event to record a Reaction Time of 0.000 seconds.
The Perfect Light Award will be available to racers in all classes during qualifying and eliminations, but will only be awarded for the first Perfect
Light of the event. If not won then the Award will be increased to £75 for the next event; if it is won then it will be reset to £50
for the next event.

Decals are not mandatory for the Perfect Light Award but we would appreciate it if Eurodragster.com decals are carried. Eurodragster.com
decals will be available in the Signing On office or from the Eurodragster.com office in Race Control (entry via Spectator Bank side stairs
only).

The Eurodragster.com / Gold RV Perfect ET Award, which will also be available at UK National Championship events starting at the Festival
of Power, is again kindly sponsored by Derek and Fiona Flynn of RV sales and service specialists Gold
RV. The Award, which also starts at £50, will be paid in cash to the first racer at an event to run an ET to the thousandth of a second
on dial-in or index. If not won then the Award will be increased to £75 for the next event; if it is won then it will be reset to £50
for the next event.

To be eligible to collect the Perfect ET Award, racers are required to carry decals, one on each side of the vehicle. If you pull an
event's first Perfect ET but are not carrying decals then there will be no discussion; we will not pay out and the next person to pull a Perfect
ET will get the money assuming that they are carrying decals. Please note that the decals have changed since last season; those from previous
seasons will not be valid. Decals will be available in the Signing On office or from the Eurodragster.com office in Race Control (entry via
Spectator Bank side stairs only).

For more details about the services which Gold RV can provide please either see Derek Flynn in the Gearhead Garage UK Super Pro ET pits or
visit www.goldrv.co.uk.

If you have any queries then please contact Yvonne on the same address.

Skool's Out is out.22nd February: The UK's Jason Anslow says that he is sure that many of those in our
wonderful world of drag racing are busy preparing for the new season, and that that is certainly the case at Quick Release Racing as the
team continue to field one car and build another:

We only have six months of closed season to get all the jobs started, let alone completed! Last season was Lowri's first time drag racing in
her Baja Beetle Lady Baja. I built the car for her to try the sport we both love hoping that she would enjoy the driving as much as I do.
I'm really pleased that she did and that she has decided to carry on. I am currently building a new engine for her that will see an increase
in size from a 1600cc to a 1915cc air-cooled flat four. This should help her to shave a second or two off her elapsed times and add a few miles
an hour to her top speed. After a first season of learning how to race and compete we are both hoping to see her go rounds and challenge
for event wins in 2018.

If any individuals or companies out there have a love for old Beetles and would like to support Lowri in her racing, please get in touch.
Contact details are at the end of this piece.

Alongside that, at the end of last season I made the difficult decision to retire my car, the VW Beetle Skool's a Drag. I was incredibly
proud of the car I had built and developed over the four years of racing it. I guess I should also be pleased that I achieved a PB of 13.1 seconds
at 103 mph, not bad for an old Bug. There were however a number of issues over the years which meant to my mind that I never got the best
out of it.

As is the case with many racers, once bitten by the bug of speed there is only ever one way to go and that's faster. Unfortunately in an air-cooled
Beetle it's a pretty hard and expensive, especially if it breaks! And when I say faster I'm talking an aim of getting to the eights and maybe lower!
It was being part of the air-cooled VW scene back in the early 1990s that introduced me to the wonderful world of drag racing and ever since then
I have been hooked. Even then at all the VW shows I loved watching the Ford Pops racing and dreamt that one day I'd be able to have one. Of
course I thought that it would only ever remain a dream.

Saying this, I've got to an age in life where I belive that if you really want something, you must do whatever you can to achieve it! Life's too short
just to have dreams and not act upon them. So all the race spec parts on Skool's were sold and the fund to build a Pop running a supercharged
Big Block Chevy was started. After all, moving from one short wheel based car to another is the easy and obvious way to do it, isn't it?

The plan is that it will probably take at least five years to be able to save the money and have the car put together, but ultimately it will give
me the chance of hitting those low times and high speeds. As a Foster Carer I am lucky enough to have some time during daytime in the week,
however it's not the best paid job in the world so I will balance the two things as best I can.

I've been really lucky in that a number of the parts I will need have come my way already. So at the moment I have a full fibreglass body,
rear suspension, wheels, rear diff, fuel pump, pedals, ignition system and a few other bits and pieces. I have also sourced a potential engine.
Anyone who knows me is aware that I'm 6' 5" and of a more comfortable physique so the decision has been made to have a full tube chassis
built to enable me to race a car in relative comfort!

For me this is going to be one massive learning curve. I have very little knowledge on V8s and how to run them, set them up etc. I am looking
forward to going through the learning process and becoming part of a world where the engines have twice as many cylinders.
During the build years I will be crewing for Lowri as she carries on racing in the Volkswagen Drag Racing Club as well as for anyone else in the
Club who can use a helping hand. I am also hoping to be able to shadow some teams who run in the Outlaw Anglias to see how it all works.

My biggest need however is for people. I am looking for those who would like to be part of the journey with me. I really have a need for
someone with good experience in the world of V8s to help and guide me. This will hopefully enable me to make the right decisions when
buying parts and choosing people to do the work etc. and teach me about the engines and the workings of a V8 race car. I am also looking
for people who would like to help me with the build and then hopefully crew for me when I finally get the car on track. I am unable to provide
any financial reward so ideally need those with a passion / interest in drag racing and / or cars or maybe have a specialised knowledge of
any of the areas of a drag race team. I'm based in South Warwickshire, not far from Shakey so ideally anyone who is able to help will be
fairly local.

Here's to the dawn of a new season and hopefully lots of great racing on the new concrete currently being laid at the Pod - and of
course some track time at Shakey!

You're gonna need a bigger block...22nd February: Santa Pod Raceway Track Announcer and, he says, definitely not racer
(Point conceded, having seen him race - Ed) Colin Theobald has been in touch to put us straight
after our parting crack in Andy Thetford's snippet on 10th February.
"I do not own a race car", says Colin, "it is a Street car!". However...

As you all know, we managed to totally destroy the engine in Bruce the Camaro back at Dragstalgia last year. I basically pushed the car too hard with
a totally stock bottom end and after achieving a Personal Best of 11.34/117.96 the pistons and rods decided that that was enough and they didn't want to
play any more.

Fast forward to today and the new engine build is coming on very nicely indeed. Dan Williams at Williams Bros Racing has had the new Dart block
back from the machine shop all nicely bored and honed to perfection. The crank has also returned from balancing so he now has all of the pieces
to build the new 454 big block engine. We initially hoped to be ready for Easter but an unforeseen delay in obtaining a couple of key items has
put the debut back a month or so. Dan is a perfectionist when it comes to engine builds and is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Having checked into the workshops today to see the progress it was like visiting a maternity ward to see how your new baby is, so many engines
there that Dan had to point out which one was mine! Lots of shiny bits, the heads look amazing and the pistons need to be displayed in a glass
cabinet they look so good. Once the engine is built Dan will run it in on their very own Superflow engine dyno, only when he is totally happy
will he do a power pull.

Needless to say, with the combination that Dan and Nic have specified there will be a fair amount of extra power, not saying how much more
yet as we are running a sweepstake to see who will be closest.

With the extra power, other upgrades were looked at so the trusty TH400 is making way for a new TH350, new fuel lines and Earls Performance
fittings throughout and a replacement fuel tank that previously saw life in Mike Lacey's Metamorphosis Camaro. We had already replaced
the differential a couple of years ago but to finish off the driveline new stronger half shafts are being fitted. The brakes are having a major overhaul
as we want to make sure the car stops as well as it goes.

Whilst Dan is concentrating on the mechanicals, Nic and Ash at OCS Paint will be carrying out some paintwork to the rear of the car. I unfortunately
picked up a deep scratch on the rear quarter panel last year and let's just say that lots of over-enthusiastic burnouts created a fair amount of stone
chips. We had to roll the wheel arches a couple of years ago so that the slicks didn't rub, so repairs needed there as well so it makes perfect sense
to do all of this whilst the axle and old fuel tank are removed. They will also replace the rear shocks and repaint the CalTracs.

Plans for this season will be again just one race meeting due to work commitments, so expect to see Bruce on the entry list for the SPRC
Summernationals. I wish I could enter three classes but two is the limit, so this year it will be Modurstang Pro ET, just to see if I can win my pound
coin back from Lee Huxley, and for sheer fun I'm going to enter Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator as I have always wanted to go on the Cruise
and to be able to say that I have raced with the quickest street cars in Europe. I still aim to do the occasional passenger ride as I enjoy them so much
because the victims I select haven't really go a clue what to expect. We do have one very special passenger ride to do however, as Bruce decided to
have a front tyre blowout whilst on a two-mile journey to take the future Mrs Marshall to her wedding last November resulting in a back-up car being
called. That run will be quite emotional especially as we hope Nikki wears her wedding dress for the occasion. We also have a top secret driver lined
up to take Bruce for a blast or two down the famous quarter mile at Santa Pod at some point during the year.

At this point I have to say massive thanks to Lucas Oil UK for their continued support. We will be using their break-in oil when the engine is built,
then switch over to their racing oil when the engine is run in. The transmission will be using the Lucas Oils Automatic Transmission Fluid, even
the braking system will be receiving the Lucas treatment with their synthetic brake fluid. Finally the radiator will be receiving the Lucas Oils
Super Coolant. Big up for Santa Pod for giving us the incredible facility that we race on, cannot wait to see the new concrete track. Thanks also to
the whole Eurodragster.com team, especially Kirstie whom I embarrassingly forgot to mention at the SPRC Trophy Night (Kirstie added to the
passenger ride list).

It goes without saying that I honestly couldn't do any of this without the help and support of Nic, Dan and Keith Williams. Nothing is too much
trouble for them especially as I haven't really got a clue what a spanner is actually for. Think I'll stick to commentating and driving my
Street car.

Swift snippets.22nd February: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com came with the
words "Coming to the Home of European Drag Racing in 2018 – full story coming soon". Working for Elon Musk not necessary to
get this one we'd say, but if you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at
eurodragster.com@btinternet.com.

Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren is seeking a clutch mechanic for the
FIA / FIM Main Event and FIA / FIM European Finals and other FIA rounds if interested. For more information you can call
Michael on +46 72 157 1414 or E-Mail
michael.malmgren@anebyhusgruppen.se.

Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian
Marshall for sending us Version 2 of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway
on 30th March-1st April. You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by
clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
You can download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link of the SPRC web site at
www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

Micallef, Giordmaina, Borg honoured.22nd February: Further to his news item of 16th February,
Oliver Attard has been touch with more good news from the island of Malta:

Every year in Malta the Association of Sport Journalists, of which I am a member, together with Sportmalta, the entity that governs sports and sports facilities in
Malta, organise the Malta Sports Awards. There are lots of categories to make sure that everyone is included.

The Malta Motorsport Federation, of which I am also the General Secretary, had three nominations for this year's awards. William England, Vice President of
the Malta Motorsport Federation was nominated for the huge work he has done in taking local motorsport to a new level in every aspect - safety, regulations,
organisation and so on. MMF and the Malta Drag Racing Association nominated the Simon Giordmaina Racing Team (Super Street Bike), made up of Simon Giordmaina and Franklyn
Borg, for Team of the Year, and Duncan Micallef (Top Fuel Dragster) was nominated for the highest award, Sportsman of The Year.

William did not make it to the Finals of these awards, however Simon, Franklyn and Duncan did make it. Simon and Franklyn came in a prestigious third
place for Team of the Year for finishing the third in the FIM Europe Super Street Bike Cup. Duncan, after winning the Sportsman of the Year last year and
becoming the next fastest race driver behind Anita Mäkelä, was again acknowledged by Maltese sports journalists and was awarded Sportsman
of the Year again for winning the FIA Europan Top Fuel Dragster Championship.

This is a huge success for the local motorsport community and especially for drag racing in Malta. From our tiny island we would like to thank you all for
the support which our drivers get while racing all over Europe. Both the Simon Giordmaina Racing Team and Duncan Micallef will be back in this year's
FIA and FIM European Drag Racing Championships.

Web site updates.22nd February: Dynmaic photo-journalism duo Steve and Julie Moxley have had reports and pictures from the
2017 Open Sport Nationals and NSRA Hot Rod Drags posted on the Eat My Ink web site at
www.eatmyink.com.

After a period of some 6 weeks with bad weather postponing the pouring of the concrete, Santa Pod saw the first concrete
pour take place (starting at 5.30 am) on Wednesday the 14th February – a very nice Valentine present for the Pod! The
period of unsuitable weather over the last 2 weeks has certainly brought about a 'squeaky bum' scenario for some of
us – especially me, here at Santa Pod Raceway. With almost £1m (one million pounds) invested into this project we
cannot afford mistakes or any major delays. We already have had to lose some of our early RWYB events because
of the delayed works, due to poor weather conditions.

We have completed two fifths of the total pour required – so we still have more pours to be completed, which if the
weather holds next week we are hoping for completion of the laying of all the concrete.

The requirements for laying the concrete track are that we need to avoid high wind speeds, to allow the laser levelling
to remain 100% accurate, plus the outside temperature cannot be too cold - and no rain at all. Now we all know that
is a 'big ask' at the best of times at Santa Pod - let alone throughout the winter months.

With that said we are all very excited at Santa Pod to be laying this new track in concrete to the full quarter-mile.
At the same time, we are re-laying quite a large and important area of the shutdown area (in asphalt), which we
feel sure will be very welcomed by the racers.

If you look at the photographs accompanying this article you can even see in these photos the standard of the
track surface being laid. We are hoping we are going to give British drag racing one of the best drag racing
surfaces anywhere in Europe - a tall order and big statement I know, but that is our goal and target. In addition,
I would like to get European track records back at Santa Pod Raceway.

The company that are carrying out the re-laying of the track is 'Knights Construction' who I must say are doing
a very professional job and meeting all the high design and laying criteria that they and we set at the outset of
this project way back at the beginning of August in 2017. We have found all the management and staff at Knights
Construction to be our type of people – professional people, who are of the mind set similar to us; that being;
'can do - and will do'! Of all the contractors, I have dealt with since purchasing Santa Pod Raceway in 1996 and
having laid two previous tracks at Santa Pod, plus one at Avon Park (as it was called then), I must add Knights
Construction and their MD Matt Jones are top level.

We have also re-constructed and re-modelled the spectator bank and people will be very pleasantly surprised
at the result. The bank was also laser levelled and now has an alignment with the track along with better access
and a pathway on the top.

Neale Saunders who has directly project managed the whole works on behalf of Santa Pod added: "The whole project has been enthralling since
the very start. Knights Construction understood very quickly what was required and the gravity of such an important development for Santa Pod
and Knights MD Matt Jones even made the effort to visit the US to take in an NHRA event with me to meet the head of their operations department
which has laid 20+ tracks over the years. Work began on site soon after the design came together and was signed off in the autumn. The one thing
fans won't see is the incredible amount of construction that lays beneath the super smooth surface. There are 3 newly installed drains running
down the entire length of the quarter mile to keep the subbase dry; the old WW2 runway was ripped out and crushed to form part of the 750 mm
deep foundation so with 8,600 square metres of track to build this was no small task. Huge thanks must go to Danny Bradshaw of Knights and the
extremely capable men of the Earth Moving Division who were responsible for expertly installing the many thousands of tons of material that
went into the track and the spectator banking. They may be "The warm up act" for the concrete laying guys but; what an act!

The technical side of the concrete laying operation led by Greg Davis is very impressive; the accuracy on this job is more exacting than Knights
would normally work to, with state of the art laser screed machines dictating the grade of the surface to within 2mm. There will be a very slight
50 mm fall from right to left of across the 20 m width of the track (compared to a fall of up to 175 mm in places on the old track) to help with
shedding water. The track walls have been heightened too allow for the uplift required. The finish on the concrete surface is something we
have worked hard on; sourcing opinions from American Crew Chiefs, Safety Safari track crew, track whisperers and not forgetting our very own
hugely experienced SPRC track crew. As most will know, track prep is a very important part of Championship Drag Racing so it was vital that the
correct finish is left on the concrete to allow for our prep team to apply the magic. Knights installed test patches to allow us to decide on the
best finish, which is just short of a shine. This, coupled with a new counter rotator track prep machine on order from Andy Robinson Race Cars,
will see Santa Pod take another step towards regaining those European records.

A vital part of the soul of Santa Pod is the spectator banking, which has been remodeled. My intention here was simple; improve on the best
bits and get rid of the bad bits. The old bank had significant areas that were not usable, particularly past half track. Some areas were very steep
and unsuitable and other areas were flat which meant viewing was difficult. The bank at the startline had the best gradient so we selected that
and applied it to the whole bank, right to the finish line. The height is now uniform (the startline end was much lower than the finish line) with
a wide new path rather that the old rocky and muddy one. The pedestrian ramp is less steep and directed towards the toilets at the rear of the
bank to allow for uninterrupted viewing by the faithful on the front elevation. The Hill Bar remains, as a fan favorite; the view from here will
be much better as the height gain really is noticeable. We have also sought the advice of a seed consultant to be sure we have the right type of
seed and fertilizer to ensure the bank will be ready to receive spectators at the Festival of Power over the Easter weekend. All in all, we are all
very proud of the improvements at Santa Pod and hope that these commitments to the racers (track) and spectators (banking) will be enjoyed
by all for many years to come."

In closing I feel that we have given both racers and spectators alike something not only new for 2018, but
have made some major improvements to the whole facility at Santa Pod Raceway. I can't wait for the season to
begin in earnest.

Festival of Power entry update.19th February: Many thanks to Santa Pod Racers Club Secretary Ian
Marshall for sending us Version 1 of the official entry list for the Festival of Power, which takes place at Santa Pod Raceway
on 30th March-1st April.

You can check out the Festival of Power entry list by clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

"The new entry form system is having a few teething problems", says Ian. "Pete Walters has come up with a fix to help us out as follows:
If you are using Chrome or Firefox browsers then a downloaded PDF file will open automatically in Chrome's PDF viewer, which for some
reason disables the use of the submit button. You can disable it in your own browser to open in Adobe Reader which then works. So if
you are having issues then please try it and let us know how you get on. Alternately if you open the PDF from wherever you saved it,
then it will open in Reader and work."

You can download the official Festival of Power entry forms via the Information link of the SPRC web site at
www.eurodragster.com/sprc.

Ian adds that Santa Pod Racers Club would like to thank last year's class title sponsors for continuing their involvement in Championship classes in 2018.
"Once again Gearhead Garage are helping us with Super Pro ET, and Modurstang will be title sponsors for Pro ET class", he says, "Junior Dragster will also
be supported by longtime sponsor Lucas Oil. We thank all of you for your support and ask that our members use these sponsors wherever possible."

If you have any queries about Festival of Power then please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44
1933 313625) or E-Mail ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

Hybrids join UK electric exclusion.19th February: Ian Marshall also tells us that further to the notes
of last week's Riders' and Drivers' Meeting, entries will now not be accepted from hybrid race vehicles as well as from electric
race vehicles for Championship events at Santa Pod Raceway.

"We are setting up a working group in order to get electric vehicles back racing at the track as soon as we possibly can", says Ian. "We will keep you updated with any
news on Eurodragster.com."

Electric and hybrid vehicles are still permitted at Run What You Brung events.

If you have any queries then again please get in touch with Ian on 01933 313625 (outside the UK +44
1933 313625) or E-Mail ir.marshall@btconnect.com.

APIRA Trophy Night closing.17th February: Jerry Cookson of Shakespeare
County Raceway has been in touch with a reminder that today (Saturday) is the deadline for bookings for the Avon Park
International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and the National Association of Supertwins Trophy Presentation Evening
which takes place at 18:00 on Saturday 3rd March in the Avon Room of the Hilton Warwick, Stratford Road, Warwick CV34 6RE (on Junction
15 of the M40).

You can download your booking form (PDF format) from the Downloads page of the Shakespeare County Raceway web site at
www.shakespearecountyraceway.co.uk. Payments
can be made by BACS; account details can also be found on the booking form. Please note that all booking forms should be returned to
the address on the form by 17th February.

The sponsors behind Duncan in 2017 were Bajada New Energy, JP Portelli Projects, Mobile Total and Kamtech, all of whom have confirmed their
support once again for 2018.

Duncan's international commitments will start on 25th-28th May at Santa Pod Raceway, UK, then 10th-13th June at Tierp Arena, Sweden, 28th June-1st July at
Alastaro, Finland, 17th-19th August at Hockenheim, Germany, 23rd-26th August again at Tierp Arena, Sweden and 6th-9th September at Santa Pod Raceway, UK.
Apart from these six rounds Duncan will have two test sessions abroad.

Duncan's first appearance in Top Fuel Dragster this year will be at the first round of the Maltese Drag Racing Championship, organised by the Malta Drag Racing
Association at Hal Far Raceway on 24th-25th March. This will be a wonderful experience for the whole family which no Maltese person should miss.

2018 French ATD calendar.16th February: France's Association Trophée Dragster, the country's Championship, recently held its annual
meeting to close the 2017 season and to plan its programme for 2018. Didier Canicave writes:

In 2017 the ATD organised three races, two at Clastres and one at Rivanazzano in partnership with American Motor Pavia in Italy and
Run Cap Sud for the motorcycles at Clastres which were a real succes. Racers from all over the Europe were pleaased to join the ATD
in 2017 and they all hope to return in 2018. The surface of Clastres Dragway is becoming better every year with preparation by ATD
staff. ATD President Eric Angeloni would like to thank everyone - drivers, friends and especially volunteers - for the successful
races in 2017.

In 2018 there are four races in the series:

5th-6th May: Rivanazzano (ATD, AMP)

23rd-24th June: Clastres Dragway (ATD)

28th-29th July: Clastres Dragway (ATD, RCS)

15th-16th September: Vichy Finales (ATD, RCS)

The main change for 2018 is the amalgamation of Street Run A, B and C into Sportsman ET with a bracket of 12.00 seconds to 19.00 seconds
(except in Italy). The European Pro ET Challenge will join the ATD race at Clastres in July. Many racing organisations have contacted the
ATD team wishing to run at the races in June and July races.

Finally Eric answered questions, technical and organisational, from French drivers and then the meeting was closed with the presentation
of 2017 trophies.

Racers from all over Europe are welcome to race in the Association Trophée Dragster. If you would like more information then please
E-Mail atd2003@free.fr.

Stay tuned and on our next update we will bring you pictures from both the ATD and European Top Gas Series presentations.

Matthew adds Gravitas.16th February: UK Junior Dragster racer Matthew Dowdy is pleased to announce support from
Gravitas HR Solutions for the forthcoming season. Mark Exley of Gravitas
HR Solutions was introduced to drag racing by Matthew's dad just before Matthew was born. Once Matthew was old enough to go with
his dad and Mark it wasn't long before Junior Dragster beckoned.

On to 2018 and at the end of last season it was becoming clear that the ex-Paige Wheeler car wasn't going to be big enough, so after a
few calls and E-Mails an order was placed with HalfScale for a car capable of accommodating somebody 6' 4" tall. The new car should
be sailing across to the UK shortly. It was then that Mark decided to help with the new adventure, saying that "Gravitas HR helps businesses
to fulfil their potential, and we are delighted to support Matthew in his development through the Junior ranks in what will be an exciting season
with the new car."

Gravitas HR Solutions are located at Grange Park, Northampton and at www.gravitashr.co.uk
where full details of their services can be found. If you are in need of HR advice, please support someone who supports the sport!

Swift snippets.16th February: After delays purely induced by weather Knights Construction Group were yesterday able to commence laying
the new concrete surface at Santa Pod Raceway. Pouring commenced under clear skies and you can check out an extensive gallery on
Santa Pod Raceway's Facebook page.

Our Pit Reporter Simon spent yesterday at the London Classic Car Show
at ExCel and as well as finding plenty of US cars to ogle he was pleased to find the stand of Eurodragster.com sponsor the
Anglo American Oil Company, and to meet Anders and Eva Hildebrand, who sent their
greetings to Eurodragster.com readers.

Voting for the 2017 season APIRA Perpetual Awards closes at 23:59 UK tonight (Friday). To place your vote go to the official
APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by clicking here or by clicking
on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.

SPR hook up with Camplify.16th February: Peer-to-peer caravan hire and RV-sharing community
Camplify has partnered with Santa Pod Raceway to provide RV
accommodation for events in 2018. Camplify offers campers a wide selection of RV accommodation that can be booked at the following
events:

Festival of Power (30th March-1st April)

Big Bang (27th–29th April)

FIA Main Event (25th-28th May)

Dragstalgia (13th-15th July)

Bug Jam (20th-22nd July)

FIA European Finals (6th-9th September)

Flame and Thunder Show (27th October)

Customers must purchase a ticket for the entire event to be able to camp, as Camplify RVs are not
available for single day ticket holders.

Caroline Holden, Commercial Manager at Santa Pod Raceway said "The collaboration between
Santa Pod Raceway and Camplify is one we hope will make attending events easier for our
customers coming from afar. We are very excited to be one of the first companies to partner with
Camplify so soon after their launch in the UK."

Camplify, one of the world's fastest growing, and Australia's largest, peer-to-peer caravan hire and
RV-sharing community launched in the UK in 2017. In less than two years, Camplify grew to over
20,000 members in Australia and has connected thousands of holidaymakers with private owners of
caravans, motorhomes and campers. The UK has over 800,000 registered RVs and the majority of
them don't get used for more than two weeks per year.

For further information please contact ARRC via their web site at
www.robinson-race-cars.co or call 01256 880589
(outside the UK +44 1256 880589).

Swift snippets.14th February: Hayley, Marra mom, Marra Dad and the rest of Limited Funz Racing asked us to say a
huge Happy Birthday to the owners and drivers of the Wrathchild slingshot, Rob and Pete Brown aka Marra 1
and Marra 2. "Here's to a great race season and another year of amazing memories!", they say. Have a great day
both.

Closing dates are listed on the entry forms and reminders will of course be posted here on Eurodragster.com.

All teams intending to field more than one driver or rider for the same vehicle must send a list of the
season's drivers to Ian Marshall or Yvonne Tramm at SPRC before the Festival of Power.

It will no longer be possible to pay for entry in cash at an event.

Big Bang is an SPRC Championship round, not a UK National Championship round, round for 8.50 Bike and 9.50 Bike.

Super Street will again contest two sets of qualifying and eliminations, both of which will count for points, at
the FIA / FIM Main Event and FIA / FIM European Finals. One entry fee covers both contests.

Junior Drag Bike will run as an FIM class at the FIA / FIM Main Event and the FIA / FIM European Finals.

To run in Sportsman ET at Bug Jam, a racer must have contested the class at least one preceding event
this season.

Bug Jam will again be a non-points round for Lucas Oil Junior Dragster.

The two-day Redline Rumble will consist of two full one-day events (qualifying, eliminations, points and prize money
each day) for Funny Bike, Comp Bike, 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, ET Bike, Supertwin Top Gas and Junior Drag Bike. One entry fee
covers both days; it will not be possible to enter for one of the two days.

Nostalgia Funny Car will appear at the Festival of Power, FIA / FIM Main Event, SPRC Summernationals, FIA / FIM
European Finals and the UK National Finals.

Outlaw Flat Four will appear at Big Bang and Bug Jam.

Classes with consistently small fields will be reviewed although no class will be removed without
an alternative for the racers involved (example cited was Super Street could move to Pro ET).

2017 Santa Pod Racers Club Champions will again receive free entry to rounds at Santa Pod Raceway in 2018
with the exception of Top Fuel Bike, Supertwin Top Gas, Super Street, Comp Eliminator, Pro Stock Bike and Junior
Drag Bike. Free entry applies even if you change classes. At FIA / FIM events SPRC will cover the equivalent of the
National Championship entry fee for Pro Modified, Pro Stock Bike and Super Street Bike. In the case of teams with more
than one driver, one team driver per event will receive the free entry. Pitside power must still be paid for. The free
entry must be used during 2018.

For this year's SPRC Champions to receive free entry in 2019 there must have been an average of four bikes
contesting events in Top Fuel Bike and an average of six vehicles in each other class.

Fees for single-phase power supply at Santa Pod Raceway have increased by £5 per event (not per day of event).
The fees below will be frozen until 2020.

Event duration

Single phase

Three phase

2 days

£50

£145

3 days

£60

£155

4 days

£75

£170

OTHER BUSINESS

The UK rule book is to be made available on the Santa Pod Racers Club web site. SPRC members
will still receive a copy of the rule book on a USB memory stick.

The first 300 feet of concrete is scheduled to be laid at Santa Pod Raceway tomorrow (Monday).

Andy Robinson Race Cars is building a counter-rotating sled for track prep at Santa Pod Raceway.

UK blower restraint update.11th February: Ian Marshall of Santa Pod Racers Club has been
in touch with an update on blower restraint regulations for UK Sportsman racers:

Any Sportsman vehicle (non-FIA) running as quickly as 6.00 seconds, using a Roots-type supercharger which currently requires a restraint system, will now
be able to run a SFI 14.1 restraint. This is regardless of running methanol or race gas. Nitromethane is of course a separate specification and still requires a
14.3 restraint. Previously some vehicles had to run the 14.2 restraint; these are still legal, but the slightly lower spec is now acceptable.

14.2 restraints are still mandatory in Comp Eliminator classes AA/BM, BB/AM and AA/PM.

Nomex strap covers are mandatory on vehicles running between 6.00 and 7.50 seconds on methanol, and are recommended on vehicles running between
6.00 and 7.50 seconds on race gas.

There will also be proper grudge racing and RWYB available; details of the format and all entry fees will be published soon.
This is an Outlaw Track so things will be done a little differently. We have no restrictions and this is not a National event track,
this is Street Outlaw-style racing in a safe environment, big cash prize money, put-up-or-shut-up drag racing.

The No Prep Nationals will run the same format as in 2017: two test hits then into eliminations, all names drawn out of a
hat for elimination pairings and lane choice. Run to conclusion, guaranteed cash purses paid on the day to winner and runner-up.

To all the No Prep and drag racing fans out there: you are in for a great experience. There are great viewing areas available at
Rockingham so come and check this place out, as you will not be disappointed. This facility truly is breathtaking. There are modern
features which any competitor would expect from a professional facility including very-reasonable-to-rent pit garages with mains
power, hard-standing parking areas, great hospitality opportunities and media facilities.

As you can imagine, there is a whole lot to be done when you start up a new track so please bear with us. But you can hopefully
see that the focus is going to be on having a lot of fun. After all that's what it's all about, right? We will get more information
to you as soon as we have it, there's not much time but this great sport needs this track and the track needs you. For this to be
a success Rockingham Drag Strip needs your attendance and support to help put it on the map. We need marketing partners,
sponsors, magazine coverage, race fans, competitors, and marshals. If you think you have something to offer then please let us know.

To register your interest for the No Prep Nationals, grudge racing or RWYB please get in touch with us on 07831 650230, E-Mail
pmdragracing@gmail.com or visit our new Rockingham Dragstrip
Facebook page. Please also contact us for all enquiries from race series organisations or car clubs interested in attending.

I must thank the Rockingham team for all of their co-operation in making this happen.

Stay tuned for more information: there is a lot to tell you about this great new drag racing facility.

"The bike should be ready for its début at Easter", says Al. "It has a state-of-the-art 198 cubic inch motor by Johnny Vickers at Hawaya Racing, the
same equipment currently being campaigned by Ricky House at Pomona."

The pictures show progress so far and Big Al has promised to keep us posted.

2018 Top Doorslammer calendar.10th February: Many thanks to Martin Westerlund for sending us the calendar for the 2018 EDRS
Top Doorslammer Series:

Swift snippets.10th February: UK Pro ET racer Andy Thetford is proud to announce sponsorship from
Thompson Elphick Chartered Accountants of
Aylesford (01622 790055). After contesting one event in 2017 Andy plans to compete at all UK Championship rounds in 2018 toting a new Steve
Schmidt motor. "It's all a bit strange as I said I would never own a race car!", says Andy. Talk to Colin Theobald about that one, Andy.

UK Pro Modified racer Chris Orthodoxou is seeking crew for his blown-alcohol Dodge Viper.
"Previous experience with blown-alcohol engines, Racepak etc would be a big advantage", says
Chris. "Essential attributes are enthusiasm, mechanical knowledge, reliable, and willing to lay under the
sexiest race car you ever did see, in the cold, and working until stupid o'clock in the morning if required
but, at the same time, a desire to have a bloody good laugh". For more information and contact details
check out Drivers / Crew required on our
Jeff
Bull Race Engines-sponsored Swap Meet.

If you were tuned in to our John Woolfe Racing-sponsored
Autosport
International coverage you will have read about the possibly-limited FIA European Championship and Nostalgia Slingshot plans
of Danish Top Fuel Dragster racer Stig Neergaard. Stig has now announced the purchase of a Top Fuel Dragster
chassis from John Force Racing and courtesy of our good buddy Remco Scheelings you can read more on the Drag Racing
Europe Blog by
clicking
here.

Martin Wilson tells us that his extensive collection of drag racing memorabilia, which he put up for grabs here
on Eurodragster.com News on 18th January, has all
gone. "The response was unbelievable!", says Martin. "Everything has gone to fantastic new homes. Many thanks to Tim,
Colin Theobald (the great man himself!) and the lovely Sarah. I do really appreciate Eurodragster.com helping me out,
good luck for the new season". Thanks very much indeed Martin, you are very welcome.

As you may be aware, there is new Department for Transport legislation in the pipeline that could greatly affect the UK hot rod, kit car and VW industry. Section 4.10 - 4.13 of the
Air Quality and Safety consultation covers changes to cars going through IVA. This consultation proposes that for cars going through IVA, compliance with
the MOT emissions standards current at the date of registration will be required, despite the use of an older engine. In other words, the current guidelines
for emissions according to the age of the engine will no longer apply.

The introduction of SVA, and then IVA, allowed our industry to produce vehicles to a recognised safe standard, quite often using parts that are already manufactured and in
circulation. The older style of engines being vital to the core appeal of the model, and / or the potential costs of fitting compliant engines being so expensive as to cause sales
to fall to unsustainable levels.

As I'm sure you have noticed, on a day-to-day basis there are few classic cars on the roads, often reserved for special occasions, days out and perhaps limited touring during
the summer months. It is not uncommon for these cars to have limited mileage insurance, typically 2000-6000 miles per year, with many not covering more than 1000
miles annually. The emissions impact by this small fleet of cars is so small and does not warrant the heavy-handed controls that are being considered.

It does seem that if there is sufficient pressure and clear, genuine reasons why this part of the legislation could be catastrophic to our industry, there is a fair chance it could
be removed from the proposals, but it is up to UK car enthusiasts to respond! And fast – the consultation closes on 2nd March 2018.

The list of Consultees involved in producing this consultation doesn't actually contain any parties to do with the kit car / kit altered / radically altered vehicle scene. There
seems to be a clear lack of understanding by the Consultation authors on what type of vehicle uses BIVA and DVLA rules for retaining original identity.

This does not only affect people building hot rods, kit cars and altered VWs in the future, but also those who have been building with the rules in mind for many years.
Many projects take 5-10 years to build due to additional outlays and time restraints. This doesn't simply require an engine change but a redesign to create a whole
new package. Purchase of new engines would be very costly, about £3,000 for four cylinders and upwards of £7,000 for a V8 without peripherals.
Aftermarket ECUs are not sophisticated enough run to levels required. Radically Altered vehicles are based on modifying existing vehicles so the engine is already
in use,rather than causing major pollution with new car production. This is ultimately recycling - keeping parts in use rather than causing major pollution with new car
production. Even if you have currently on the road; if it is ever written off in the future, it would then have to be rebuilt to BIVA specifications regardless of what engine
it currently has and therefore it would have to conform to these emissions tests. This consultation will affect far more people than those currently building projects now.

Note current at date of registration - for now, that means 2018. As the years go forward and regulations change, so will the requirements to be met, i.e. one
simple change to upgrade specs and it's game over for an entire UK industry.

If this legislation were implemented, it will affect businesses sufficiently that they might have to close. Many have small workshops and not a vast workforce, but all
have many times that number indirectly employed who have specialist skills and rely on the popular kit car and hot rod market. It will kill a multi-million pound industry
stone dead.

Here at the National Street Rod Association, along with other key stakeholders, we are doing everything we can to spread awareness of the impact this will
have on the UK car scene and are doing all we can to preserve our way of life. We are asking if you are able to create awareness of this consultation, assist us in
asking people to respond urgently in the hope that the legislation will not come into law.

To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by
clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote
link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the
title then simply send an E-Mail to apiraawards2017@btinternet.com
giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote in
the body of the E-Mail.

For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same
nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone
tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or
Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years.
Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee
knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing
then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.

Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA
direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com
regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement.

Voting closes at 23:59 UK next Friday (16th).

Swift snippets.9th February: Courtesy of photo-journalist Mike Collins is a preview of his Hot Gossip column from the
February edition of Street Machine magazine...

...together with a look back at a column from November which features legendary Rocket pilot and British Drag Racing Hall of Fame
member Slammin' Sammy Miller.

If any National or SPRC Champions who are coming to the Riders' and Drivers' Meeting did not collect their trophy or (for
SPRC Champions) jacket at the recent SPRC Dinner Dance then please contact me at
ir.marshall@btconnect.com or call 01933 313625 and
I will bring them to the meeting to be presented.

The UK Riders' and Drivers' Meeting commences at 12:30 at the Hilton Hotel, Northampton, on the eastbound A45 just off
Junction 15 of the M1 (postcode is NN4 0XW, map).
For more information please see our news item of 12th
January.

VP Racing Fuels back Doorslammers.8th February:Santa Pod Raceway are delighted to
announce VP Racing Fuels as the latest sponsor for the new featured event in their 2018
event calendar - the Doorslammers on 19th-20th May. VP will
not only be the official fuel supplier to the event but will also take title sponsorship of the Pro Doorslammer class. This class prize pot is worth £20,000
and is sure to attract some of the fastest doorslammer entries from across Europe.

"With VP's strong involvement and ties with street racing in the US, the association with the Doorslammers event is a natural fit to support a new
featured event at Santa Pod Raceway", says VP's International Sales Manager Marc Wesler. "Santa Pod Raceway is a great partner and continues
to help expose the VP brand to the European market. We are excited to be the official fuel for the event and title sponsor of the Pro Doorslammer
class."

VP Racing Fuels have been an Official Partner to Santa Pod for the last eight years providing fuel solutions for drag racing teams across a number
of classes. Santa Pod recently forged a new partnership with them as the venue chose VP Fuels as their preferred supplier of track glue. Their product
Lane Choice 5 (LC5) is now an established weapon in Santa Pod's track armoury and will continue to play a significant role in the launch of the
brand new concrete drag strip.

Swift snippets.8th February: The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com
came with the words "More to follow!". If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture,
then drop us a line at eurodragster.com@btinternet.com.

Good luck and stay safe to Jonnie Lindberg, Julie Nataas, Fred Hanssen and Ulf Leanders who are contesting this weekend's Lucas Oil Winternationals
at Pomona. Top Alcohol qualifying commences at 00:00 UK / 01:00 European tonight and you will be able to stay in touch with our heroes'
progress courtesy of the Drag Race Central web site at www.dragracecentral.com.

There's a long standing association between betting and drag racing; teams and fans alike can be heard making predictions on the results of races. Warren Llambias,
Co-Founder of RedZoneSports.bet said "We are excited to join with Santa Pod and become part of the wider drag racing fraternity. As the British home of this particular
American sport we hope, working closely with our TrakBak partners, to find ways to enhance the unique thrill of drag racing!"

Santa Pod are also very pleased to announce that entries are now open for the event and that the first cars have already entered. It's already looking like an event to
remember! You can enter and/or view the current entry list at www.thedoorslammers.co.uk.

Swift snippets.6th February: We have posted our provisional Event Coverage schedule including those webcasts
planned so far. More event will be added. The schedule can be checked out by clicking
here or by clicking on the John Woolfe Racing Event Coverage link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page.
We are undergoing formal sponsorship renewals at present but a big Thank You to Dave Riswick who has already confirmed that
John Woolfe Racing will again be sponsoring our Event Coverage in 2018.

Web site updates.6th February: Our good buddy photo-journalist Steve Moxley has had a report and pictures from the
UK National Finals posted on the Eat My Ink web site at www.eatmyink.com.

To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by
clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote
link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the
title then simply send an E-Mail to apiraawards2017@btinternet.com
giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote in
the body of the E-Mail.

For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same
nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone
tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or
Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years.
Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee
knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing
then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.

Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA
direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com
regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement.

The final category, McDonald Racing Ireland Best Newcomer, will be posted this Friday (9th).

APIRA Trophy Night update.5th February: Jerry Cookson of Shakespeare
County Raceway has been in touch with a reminder that Saturday 17th February is the deadline for bookings for the Avon Park
International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and the National Association of Supertwins Trophy Presentation Evening
which takes place at 18:00 on Saturday 3rd March in the Avon Room of the Hilton Warwick, Stratford Road, Warwick CV34 6RE (on Junction
15 of the M40).

APIRA have negotiated a preferential rate for rooms in the hotel at £90 for a double or £80 for a single. All rates are
inclusive of breakfast, car parking and VAT. To book your room please call the reservations team on 08008 568000 or visit the web
site at www.hilton.com/warwick quoting reference code ASRAS. Cut off
for bedroom bookings at the special rate is twenty eight days prior to arrival.

You can download your booking form (PDF format) from the Downloads page of the Shakespeare County Raceway web site at
www.shakespearecountyraceway.co.uk. Payments
can be made by BACS; account details can also be found on the booking form. Please note that all booking forms should be returned to
the address on the form by 17th February.

Close enough to go again.5th February: Andy Frost and the Red Victor team returned to Bahrain in January to
continue the quest for a five-second pass with a street legal car, and then to go for Jeff Lutz' ET and speed
records for a quarter mile in a street-legal car. Frosty writes:

As before ace tuner and good friend Shane Tecklenburg was in the house, and determined to get Red Victor 3
hauling down the track and running how it should. The consensus outside our camp was that there was no way that
a 2965 lb car could ever achieve the numbers we were after, and we were after proving those naysayers wrong.

Of course, all of this isn't easy. Shipping the car and truck 5000 miles, getting the crew there, sourcing stolen
items, fixing broken trucks, fixing the car, shipping the upgraded engine and trans and spares are all consuming.
But we signed up for it, so it just has to get dealt with without fuss or drama so that we can carry on with the
task in hand.

The team of Deb, Gary, Badger and myself, along with 5 Second Club members Nick Bradley and Nik Wadsworth (and
Gurmeet Dhanjal later on) got there early to refit the engine and trans, check the car over and get it ready to
make a test lap. Four days later, after a host of niggly problems which needed fixing, we got done. We found out
that leaving a car standing for a year doesn't do it any good, although at least it was standing out of the sun!

We got a few test laps under our belt (albeit with tyre shake / spin) and continued to get further down the track
as we learnt things from the data. We eventually managed to run the full quarter to get a baseline on the new
Lamude Racing-built engine. This told us that the engine was in good shape, and more importantly that the tune-up
was incredibly safe! In fact so safe that it wasn't actually making any power of note. As we were having issues
with the suspension and wheelie bar we decided not to bother with the sixty foot time and to concentrate on 330
feet onwards to try to reach that initial goal.

Shane set about chipping fuel and adding timing in small increments till the plugs looked like they had actually
fired, so we would gain some more power. Our initial test lap was 6.36, then 6.18, 6.04, 6.03 then finally 6.022/250.92
which put us 0.18 seconds and 0.5 mph off the record, and tantalisingly close to our initial goal of 5.999. This paid
dividends when we realised how much power this standard bore space Chevy engine with the Precision 102 mm Pro Mod turbos
made! By weight and speed right around 3650 hp and the seventy per cent level we are at now. Not so bad!

The next run was going to be the one, but as always in this sport of ours something has to give. This time the pinion
stripped its teeth at around 150ft. Unfortunately this was the last day of racing at the Bahrain International Circuit,
and because with diff breakage comes trans breakage we just ran out of time trying to fix to get another run. Damn...

The team's initial reaction was so near and yet so far, and that it was time to pack up and come home. But our loyal
supporters in the 5 Second Club, along with our main sponsor R-Tech Welding Equipment, were having none of it. They
had been watching team member Andy Betsons's live video for two weeks and had followed the ups and downs minute by
minute. They wanted us to come back and get the job finished, so within a week they raised enough for us to go back
(without going broke).

So, the team are going back for one last go at Round 5 of the BDRC Championship on 6th-9th March. We will arrive
there a week earlier to get the new diff - supplied and built by Hauser Racing - in the car, and to make the changes
we want to make as well plus check the whole car over. This will include replacing the prop, slip yoke, valve springs
(9600 rpm on the limiter when the diff broke) and then we can get a couple of test laps on the last day of Round 4.
We are confident we'll be in the fives very soon after that, then we will do what is necessary to shoot for the ET and
speed records. Of course only the timing slip counts...

And finally Thank You to Adel Shaji, Hamad Shahabi and all the Bahrain Drag Racing Club guys, and Bahrain International Circuit
who have accommodated our every need, and literally treated us like royalty every time we went to the track!
Hope you keep watching...

The best five of six events will count for Championship points. The Winter Nationals at Malmö Raceway on 7th-9th
September is listed as a spare race.

Stay tuned as Herman has also kindly sent pictures from the recent Top Gas Series presentation. We will post these
pictures very shortly.

Year 11 of the Challenge.4th February: 2017 marked the tenth year of Germany's Super Pro ET Challenge, making it the longest-running
drag racing Series in continental Europe. The organisers of the Super Pro ET and Pro ET Challenges joined forces, forming the
Drag Race Union. Our good buddy Markus Münch writes:

The 2017 Super Pro ET Challenge winner was Oliver Petzold of Team Schumann Motorsport in his Roadster Corvette. He took a well-deserved
win after a disturbing 2016 season with many gremlins in the car, preventing the team from runnign fast and consistent. The runner-up
was Stefan Eisenhauer from Germany, third was Simon Rudiferia from the Südtirol and fourth was Enrico Bailo from Italy. So you can
see that the challenge is an international affair. It mainly turned out that points were collected at Hockenheim, Rivanazzano and Clastres
as well as at Drachten and Santa Pod Raceway. For 2018 we have an English entry for the first time ever alongside German, Swiss,
Italian and French teams.

We truly thank our sponsors and supporters who add the salt. Thanks for their support in 2017 to Turboscheune.com, the Bavarian Drag
Race Club, Spedition Schumann, Rechsteiner Bedachungen, Racepoint.it, Team 74 Bruckmüller, Eisenhauer KFZ Service and Tuttifix.ch.

Preperations for 2018 season are fully underway. Click here to read the rules, terms and conditions
to participate in the Challenge in both German and English (PDF format). If you want to be part of the Challenge as a sponsor then give us a shout.

Swift snippets.4th February: UK Fuel Funny Car racer Steve Ashdown has asked us to say a big Thank You to
Dave Robey of Robey Scaffolding (07931 501235) and to Gary Brooks of Fast2Finish Printers (0208 659 1119) for their continued sponsorship for the 2018
season. "These guys have been with me since I started in Rune Fjeld's Top Fuel Dragster in 2016", says Steve. "Without the continued help and support of
companies like these I couldn't participate in this great sport we all love."

The latest spy picture to arrive at the offices of Eurodragster.com (below left)
came with no words. If you know more, or if you would like to send your own spy picture, then drop us a line at
eurodragster.com@btinternet.com.

Alan Martin writes that things are well underway for the 25th Annual NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway on 11th-13th May.
"Plenty of the traditional track action, possibly even a few surprises thrown in for good measure", says Alan. "The DJ and bands are booked, as is
the Saturday courtesy bus to Rushden Lakes, so all is looking good. It goes without saying that there will be plenty of track time for all of you to
put your cars through their paces. Just to whet your appetite here's a sneak preview of this year's must-have T-Shirt. All you have to do now is to
pencil the dates in your diary and we will see you all at Santa Pod. For updated information, or to book tickets, visit
www.nostalgianationals.com."

Feature: Man Cup World Finals.2nd February: The latest in our occasional series of Features presented in association with
Lucas Oil Products is photo-journalist Steve Moxley's account
of the Man Cup World Finals in Valdosta, which included a sizeable contingent of European racers.

You can take a look by clicking
here or by clicking on the Features, Interviews, Tributes link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com
page.

Moxey's report on the FIA / FIM European Finals is now showing on the Eat My Ink web site at
www.eatmyink.com.

Swift snippets.2nd February: Bob Hancox writes that the Debbie Hancox Memorial Trophy, awarded to the team
showing the most spirit and inspiration Outlaw Anglia class and voted for by the class' drivers and crew, was presented to Cliff Griffin at last weekend's
Trophy Presentation. "We have made the difficult decision to end the trophy this year", says Bob on behalf of himself, Carole and Fiona. "We would like
to thank everyone for their support and we congratulate not only Cliff as the final recipient but all of the the teams who have received the trophy over the
last eleven years."

Further to Wednesday's news item, Swedish Pro Stock racer Michael Malmgren
adds that he is seeking a clutch mechanic for the FIA / FIM Main Event and FIA / FIM European Finals and
other FIA rounds if interested. For more information you can call Michael on +46 72 157 1414 or E-Mail
michael.malmgren@anebyhusgruppen.se.

APIRA Perpetual Awards vote 4.2nd February: Avon Park International Racing Association and Eurodragster.com are again teaming up to give readers the chance of
input to the APIRA Perpetual Awards, which will be presented at the joint Avon Park International Racing Association, Shakespeare County Raceway and
National Association of Supertwins Trophy Night on Saturday 3rd March. The votes of Eurodragster.com readers will be taken into consideration when
the APIRA selection panel decides upon its winners.

For six of the 2017 season awards, shortlists have been decided for which votes can be submitted by E-Mail. One shortlist will be posted per week; the
remaining lists will be posted on Mondays starting next week.

The latest shortlist is the APIRA Endeavour Award which is presented to a racer, team, supporter or member of the media in recognition for
services rendered over the last twelve months, as well as their overall support of Avon Park International Racing Association and Shakespeare County
Raceway.

The APIRA selection panel's shortlist, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

To place your vote, either use the links above or go to the official APIRA Perpetual Awards voting page which you can view by
clicking here or by clicking on the APIRA Perpetual Awards vote
link on the left-hand side of any Eurodragster.com page. If the E-Mail is not automatically generated with your chosen name in the
title then simply send an E-Mail to apiraawards2017@btinternet.com
giving the category (Iris Page Memorial Trophy etc) as the subject of the E-Mail and the name of the person for whom you wish to vote in
the body of the E-Mail.

For each of the Awards, one vote per E-Mail address per nominee will be accepted: multiple votes for the same
nominee from the same E-Mail address will all be disqualified. And every year we say this, but every year someone
tries it on: please note that blatant attempts at organising mass votes - for example asking workmates, forum members or
Facebook friends to vote en masse - are easily identified and all such votes will be disallowed as they have been in previous years.
Concerted attempts at vote-rigging will result in the nominee being removed from the shortlist whether or not that nominee
knows what was going on. We know all the dodges so it's just not worth trying. If in any doubt about what constitutes canvassing
then please drop us a line at editor@eurodragster.com.

Additionally, if anyone should have issues with the content of any of the shortlists then please have the courtesy to contact APIRA
direct rather than contacting Eurodragster.com or posting cryptic comments or bullying candidates on Facebook. E-Mails to Eurodragster.com
regarding the content of the shortlists will receive neither a reply nor any other acknowledgement.

StuntFest is an arena-based family fun day with stunts, jumps, monster trucks, a jet car, side shows and more. We're inviting racers from any class to take part in
a static display for anyone wanting to put themselves, their vehicle and their sponsors in front of a family audience.

For anyone for whom a static display isn't quite enough, we're also happy to accommodate burnouts as part of the arena show. Last year we had Nigel Hale in his
Street Eliminator C30 pick-up smoke out the arena, and he's looking to return in 2018. If you'd like to join him in burning rubber please do get in touch.